Classroom Tour :)

Teachers: Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a book of tips to organize your classroom!

Happy Saturday :)  I can't believe that this is my last weekend before the school year starts Monday--whoa, where did the summer go?   I started my Saturday off today with a grueling triathlon brick workout, my last before next Sunday's race.  I have loved tri training this summer, but I'm kind of ready for it to be over!  My running training routine takes far less planning than tri training!  After the brick, I collapsed on the FLOOR in my living room on a beach towel, turned on TLC, and passed out for an hour.  Yep, on the floor.  Even after I woke up I didn't bother moving to the couch.  My goodness.

Anyways, enough about my pathetic laziness (I think tri training makes one deserve a certain degree of laziness during the rest of the day, don't you?).  The real purpose for this post is to share pictures of my finished classroom!!  Friday I was at school from 10:30am to 6:30pm, one of the very last cars left in the parking lot.  I spent the day putting finishing touches on the room, finishing my lesson plans, making copies, and prepping chart paper for all of the charts and things I'm planning on using during the first week.  (I use charts like CRAZY and try to prep them in advance as much as I can.  Huge time saver!)

I really must apologize for the awful quality of these pics.  My phone usually takes decent pics, but in my frantic rush to GET OUT OF THE BUILDING at 6:20 last night, I forgot to turn on the lights in the room.  Um, I know.  Duh.  I work in the dark with lamps on, though, and it honestly didn't occur to me to turn on the overhead lights for the pictures!  Will you forgive me?

My decor theme this year is turqoise and black with polka dots, plus neon accents.  I'm going for soothing. :)

 Morning check-in and rest room sign-out, just outside the door.  Students will move their clothespins from the left to right side of the hanging posterboard as they enter the room--makes attendance a cinch.  Sorry, I had to cut off their names!

Thank you, Pinterest!

 

On the window next to my door--a reminder to the kids AND to me!

 

View from the door.  I have four groups of 5 or 6 desks with a gathering area in the front.  My room this year is SMALL, but it works.

 

Job Chart--thanks for the inspiration, Jordyn the Messy One! 

My teeny tiny teacher desk and happy wall.  Check out the awesome post-it board my friend made me a couple years ago!  It rocks.   

Close up of the gathering place where I do the bulk of my teaching.

I'm trying something new for my word wall after seeing Stephanie's word wall display under her board.  Try as I might, I just CANNOT keep up with writing words on sentence strips and cutting them out--hate.  This year I printed the alphabet on neon cardstock, mounted it on black construction paper and laminated, and taped them up under my board.  I plan to write our vocabulary "wonderful words" on the pages in vis-a-vis marker.  This might be a system I can actually maintain! 

Front board: Place value chart along the top, schedule at the right, reminder signs and boggle on the left, magnetic pockets from lakeshore (that I prettied-up with scrapbook paper this year) for turning in homework and assignments. 

I have little "reminder signs" up around the room every year, but this year I decided to pretty them up with some sweet polka dot duct tape--check it out!

I think this tape was created especially to match my room, don't you??

Library corner

 

More library and my Writing Workshop board--soon to be filled with anchor charts!

 

Guided Reading table  

 

"Affirmation Wall" above the board--Again, sorry about the awful picture.  I got the idea for this from the Clutter-Free Classroom--my favorite teaching blog.  I taped a roll of black fadeless paper above the board with teal duct tape.  I am just starting with one affirmation poster and will add (and discuss) one at a time throughout the year.  Our starter: "Everything I do deserves my best effort."

 

Trying something new for rest room procedures this year...I make kids ask permission and sign out, but I sometimes have a hard time remembering if someone is already using the restroom--I only send 1 kid at a time.  I hate the kids carrying passes with them, so I'm going to have them place one of the beanie babies on their desk before leaving and return it when they get back.  That way I will be able to see who's there.  We'll see how it works! 

One of my hanging lanterns--I have 6 throughout the room, 4 of them displaying team numbers.  Ugh, sorry for the blurriness!!

I couldn't take pictures of two whole walls of my room because the light coming in from the windows was making everything blurry and dark--worse than the pictures I actually included!  So I will post a second set of classroom tour pictures soon.  All in all, I absolutely love how the room turned out.  It is both warm and soothing at the same time, and the colors and polka dots just make me happy.  Happy teacher = happy students, didn't you know?  :)  

10 Steps to an Organized Classroom + Classroom Organization Book Giveaway

Read about my classroom organization systems, and scroll down to the bottom to enter to win the book Organizing the Elementary School Classroom: 100 Effective Strategies by Todd R. Tystad!

My classroom is ALMOST finished!  I'm loving how it's turning out--the "soothing" theme I'm going with this year is definitely making me smile.  I will post pictures of the finished room later this week, but first I wanted to share some pictures of the systems I have in place to stay organized.  I'm a pretty organized person, and staying organized in the classroom is so important to me.  I know I am not at my best as a teacher if I'm not organized, and if my classroom isn't organized, I feel that my students aren't at their best!  Keeping an organized classroom helps my students focus and helps us not waste precious seconds locating and distributing materials, etc.  Moving to my new school involved moving into a classroom that is much smaller than my old room, so I knew that keeping ultra organized would be super important in making sure everything FIT!  This leads me to...

Step 1: Purge unnecessary materials and files

Not pretty, but it does the job!

This is hugely important to me for a couple of reasons.  Not only does it take TIME to hunt through superfluous stuff when you're looking for the things you really need, but most importantly, extra, unnecessary "stuff" takes up space!!  My first year I had two 4-drawer file cabinets and 1 2-drawer file cabinet in my room left over from the previous teacher.  I kept them initially because I thought I would need them, and they were also full of the previous teacher's old files.  After a while, I realized that these huge cabinets took up SO. MUCH. SPACE.  I ditched one 4-drawer midway through the year and exchanged the second for another 2-drawer shortly thereafter.  This year, I went through those two 2-drawer cabinets and managed to downsize to one 2-drawer.  To do this, I threw out random old copies from the previous teacher I thought I might used but never did, ditched a few files of class sets of copies, saving only an original, and threw out old transparencies that I no longer have a use for (We are a doc cam district now!  Say it with me--No More Overheads!!).  I also transferred my student portfolio files that had previously occupied a drawer to a file crate that will sit on one of my counter tops.

Finally, I ditched a ton of old math manipulatives that I either had in excess or never used.  I was able to give most of them away to teachers who barely had any manipulatives, and you bet they were excited to get them!  This brings me to,...

Step 2: Designate spaces for materials for each discipline
If I'm in the middle of a math lesson and decide that I need fraction circles, I need to be able to find them IMMEDIATELY without looking in 4 or 5 cabinets.  That's why I set store materials for each subject together.  That seems like a no-brainer, but I also try to limit myself to one shelf or cabinet per subject.  If the materials are overflowing, it may be time to purge!  I have a cabinet devoted to math that holds my tubs of manipulatives, my Everyday Math teacher materials, and an additional tub of math resources and games:

I also have a cabinet devoted to Science & Social Studies which holds my teacher materials for both subjects, a bin of trade books and resources for each subject, my Science leveled readers, and an additional tub of miscellaneous science supplies that I have used for labs and demos in the past and that don't really belong anywhere else.  Finally, I have a cabinet devoted to Literacy which holds all of my Treasures manuals, a bin of my easy chapter books for strugglign readers, two bins of mentor text picture books, a bin of spelling manipulatives, and an additional bin of Language Arts resource books:

Step 3: Repeat after me: "Bins are my friend"

I love bins.  So much.  My absolute favorites are IKEA blue tubs which are only $1.99 each.  I start every year by picking up another stack of these babies--I guess every year I find more uses for them and require a few more!  I also love shoebox bins with lids from walmart which are only $0.99 each.  As you can see in the pictures above, you can fit SO MUCH stuff in cabinets and on shelves when it's in bins versus just stacked side by side.  They also keep materials so much more organized and make it super easy to find things.  I keep many of my recess games in bins.  Before I started doing this, the recess games cabinet was always ridiculously messy.  Now, all smaller games are in ziplock bags and kept in bins.

I also keep things like craft supplies, cleaning supplies, party supplies (plates and napkins), extra notebooks, etc. in bins in my storage closet:

Step 4: Label, Label, Label
If you're going to embrace bins, make life easier on yourself and LABEL THEM!  That way there is no time wasted pulling every bin off the shelf to figure out which one is housing your glue gun.  I love my Brother label maker--I bought it at Costco a couple of years ago and immediately went crazy labeling everything.

Step 5: Use Every Space!
In my old classroom, space wasn't an issue, but moving into the new room I knew I'd need to use every nook and cranny.  I love this idea I got from Pinterest for storing bulletin board boarders:

It was so easy to do, and you can hang multiple clips of boarders on each hook.  Did I mention how much I love 3M Command hooks too??  I also hung two of the big 5lb hooks on the opposite side of my little closet to hang my purse and school bag every day.  I used to shove these things under my desk, but hated how I'd always be kicking them all day long.  Plus, I ditched my big teacher desk for a tiny IKEA desk this year, and there is really no room for anything underneath but my feet!

I also use the space under one of my tables to store my Listen to Reading CD players and books.  Setting crates on their sides makes perfect cubbies, and sticking my favorite blue bins in them was a perfect way to keep materials organized.  The kids pull out the tub they need like a drawer, get their book and CDs, and slide it back in.

Step 6: Have a system for managing PAPERS
This is one of the biggest things I still struggle with, and I know many teachers are right there with me.  It is really unbelieveable the amount of papers teachers deal with on a daily basis.  There is student work coming in, student work being passed back, memos and notices to send home with students, meeting agendas and handouts, homework to copy, etc. etc. etc.  I have posted about a couple of systems I've used in the past already to manage these papers, and while my method this year looks a little different, it is basically the same idea.  For me, it is critical that I have a spot to organize three things: papers to grade, papers to copy, and papers to file.  It is also critical that I have a spot to store copies and materials by day for the upcoming week, as well as a miscellaneous "In Bin" for kids to turn in random things throughout the day.  (I colect homework using these fabulous magnetic pockets from Lakeshore.  I'm obsessed with them.)

This year, I was lucky to get my hands on one of those beautiful standing colored drawer units many teachers have.  I've never wanted to spend the money to buy my own, but one of my new teammates was trashing it ebcause the wheels were wobbly, and I snatched it up knowing my dad could tighten the wheels up.  I am using the top drawer as my "In Bin," the second drawer to store papers to be graded, and below that a drawer for each day of the week, plus "Next Week."

I also have a little standing file unit on my desk (that of course I forgot to take a picture of), which I bought to replace one of the larger three level stacking paper holder thingies I had last year because the vertical design of this one took up way less space.  I am using the front space to store my notebook and calendar during the day, the middle for papers to be copied, and the back for papers to be filed.

Step 7: Have a system for sending home student work and notices
I am a Friday Folder girl.  This means that I save all graded work, office notices, book orders, etc. to be sent home in one big stack on Friday.  This saves me the time of passing back a bunch of things every single day.  I know a lot of teachers who use mailboxes to house these things during the week, then transfer them to the folders on Fridays.  To me, mailboxes have always seemed like they take up a crazy amount of space.  My mom taught me this trick, and I LOVE it.  I keep a small hanging files unit on my counter, and during the week, I have student helpers file the Friday Folder papers into each student's file.  Then, on Fridays, student helpers transfer the papers from the file to the student's Friday Folder.  It works like a charm and takes up less space than mailboxes.  I keep the papers to be filed in a wire bin next to the hanging files, and the student helpers file them as they accumulate during the week.

Step 8: Organize student supplies by team/table
This tip was new to me last year, but I love it.  I noticed that it was taking a long time to distribute my mini dry erase boards, markers, and erasers every time I wanted to use them, and it was driving me crazy!  I decided to separate the boards into a stack for each table, and I started storing dry erase markers, erasers (pieces of fleece), and some regular colored markers in a tote bin for each table.  Then, I set them out on a shelf (or on two empty desks this year) so that when it was time to use them, all I needed was for one student from each table to retrieve their group's supplies.  Bingo!  Last year I also orgnaized my Treasures literacy books and Writing Workshop folders this way too, but I am mulling over some new ideas for those materials...

Step 9: Keep shared supplies together with a place for everything
I know some teachers collect all student supplies, but I have always let the kiddos keep the majority of their art materials (crayons, scissors, glue, etc.).  I do keep a supply of extras on hand at all times.  I use this handy organizer and small plastic bins/pencil boxes to store each supply and label them on the side.  I also label each cubby in the storage unit so they are returned to the correct compartment.  I also have a compartment for "extras" where I keep any extra copies.  This way, if students lose their homework, they know right where to go to find an extra!  Finally, I use one of the slots for "scratch paper," or paper that is blank on one side.  (Usually, when the extras bin is full, the old copies get transferred here.)  This is the paper I tell students to use when they need scrap paper in math or want to draw.

(The blank slots will hold "extras" and "scratch paper")

Step 10: Don't let that Teacher Desk become a BOTTOMLESS PIT
I am still learning this lesson, but I THINK I am finally on top of things in this department!  When I was cleaning out my room in preparation for my move last May/June, I couldn't believe how much JUNK I found crammed in the back of those deep drawers in my teacher desk.  Holy trash.  I found random things I had shoved into those drawers my first year teaching that I hadn't seen since!  For me, the drawers in that desk were just so deep that they were BEGGING for me to fill them with junk.  I may be organized, but aren't we all guilty of shoving things out of sight and out of mind when we have a place to shove them?

This year I downsized to this cute little desk I purchased at IKEA:

Yes, it's missing a drawer.  I couldn't figure out how to put it in...Help please, Dad...

Switching to this desk meant I was giving up an additional file drawer as I used to keep my random "teacher files" in a large drawer in my desk.  I purchased a file crate that I now keep in a cabinet for storing my files of things like staff development notes, class lists, etc.

Well, that's about it!  Now, the giveaway!

I had the opportunity to review the book Organizing the Elementary School Classroom: 100 Effective Strategies by Todd R. Tystad.  Todd is a teacher himself, and wrote this book based on his own practical experience with organizing his classroom in logical, effective ways.  Todd believes in the importance of a well-organized classroom, and in his book, he spells out EXACTLY how to organize materials, communicate with parents, implement systems like newsletters with ease, and keep your classroom running smoothly through clear, consistent routines.

This book is a quick read, and I love the way it is divided up with numbered strategies.  Tystad also includes an appendix listing each strategy by number for easy reference.  As a pretty organized teacher already, I found that I already have systems in place that work well for me when it came to most of Tystad's strategies, but I found a few tips that I will definitely implement this year.  One of these was to create an "Available Activities" anchor chart for indoor recess time.  What a simple idea, and why have I never thought of that before??  I plan to stay in with my class for part of their first indoor recess and take the time to create a chart and discuss all available options.  Tystad also had some interesting ideas for managing restroom breaks, something I continusously reinvent in my classroom.

In my opinion, the only real negative to this book is that there are no pictures.  I am a hugely visual learner and would really have benefitted from pictures of some of the strategies described.  That being said, it is still a great resource and presents a wealth of information.  If you are a new teacher, I think this would be a very helpful read.  If you're a veteran, you still might find some new tricks you never thought of before!  I think this would make an outstanding gift for a student teacher or intern!  Organization is one thing I really think you don't understand the importance of until you are actually in the midst of your first year.  They definitely didn't teach me this stuff in college, folks!

I am giving away a signed copy of Organizing the Elementary School Classroom: 100 Effective Strategies by Todd R. Tystad to one reader.  Here's how to win:

1. 1. Be a follower of Juice Boxes + Crayolas and leave a comment letting me know that you are. (Mandatory)
2. 2. Leave a comment telling me your favorite organizational strategy and/or one area in which you struggle with organization in the classroom (+1 additional entry)
3. 3. Like Todd on facebook (+1 additional entry)

This giveaway will end at midnight on Tuesday, August 21st (my first day with students!). 

BTW, the kindle edition of Organizing the Elementary School Classroom is also available for download on amazon for only $2.99!  A steal!

Legal Disclaimer: I was provided with one copy of this book to read and one to give away to a reader in exchange for writing a review.  I was not compensated in any additional way or encouraged to express a particular opinion.  All thoughts and opinions are my own, of course.

Three Things Thursday: School's Out For Summer Edition

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a beautiful infinity scarf from Sprigs!  


1. School is OVER.  I packed my boxes, purged all of the unnecessary books and files, and said goodbye to my coworkers and students.  When I told my students that I was moving schools, I surprised myself by getting choked up.  I was definitely not expecting that!  I am SO ready to leave...but the truth is, I am attached to this group and will definitely miss them next year!

I was inspired by a similar picture on pinterest and had to recreate it with my own class.  I love the diversity you can see in this picture!  I seriously love these kids.  Might have to print and frame this one... :)

On the last day of school, I like to have the kids spend a few minutes reflecting on the year and writing me a letter.  I ask them to include something they liked this year, something they were proud of, etc.  Many are rushed because it's the last day and the kiddos are ready to be DONE, but there are always a few in the bunch that make me really remember why I do this...Highlights from this year...

Love the "your student/friend" signature :)

Love.

2. I spent the day with my new team doing some initial planning yesterday!  We had a great meeting and did some general curriculum mapping for science, social studies, and writing.  Literacy is pretty much mapped out for us (as is math), so we have a skeletal structure for our curriculum already!  And on the first day of summer too. :)  Speaking of being unable to turn my school brain off, I am already brainstorming my room layout and decor for next year!  In comparison to my current room, my new room is TINY.  Yikes!  That will be an adjustment for sure!  I will just have to be my super organized self and arrange/unpack carefully!  Right now I'm planning on ditching my teacher's desk for something much smaller from IKEA.  It will mean spending my own $$, but will save me SO much space!  And, as I learned in my packing/moving process, that desk was a magnet for JUNK.  There was stuff in the back of those deep drawers that I shoved out of sight during the first weeks of my first year! Maybe this little guy...

Also, in the spirit of making next year POSITIVE and HAPPY (as opposed to the nightmare of this year), I think I may ditch my sports theme and go with a classroom decor in pretty, calming teal blue with black and polka dot accents.  Why?  Because I love teal blue and black and polka dots.  They are pretty.  They will make me happy.  Happy Teacher = Happy Students.  :)  I'm bringing home a little bookshelf and my "teacher stool" to give teal and black makeovers to this summer!  I also hope to recover file cabinets in contact paper to give them a little face lift too and hopefully make some sheer curtains for the windows.  Is it sad that summer just started and I already am dreaming about my new room?  Can you tell I'm excited for a fresh start next year???

3. On a final note, we are T minus 3 days away from my TRIATHLON!  AHHHH!!!!   The good news is that I had a brick workout Sunday that was pretty near the distances I'll be taking on in the tri, and I survived.  Plus I did another open water swim at the same lake as last week, and it went great!  I finished in pretty speedy time (for me)!  The bad news is that my calves have been cramping up this week.  I haven't had calf issues in over a year!  Where is this coming from???  I suspect biking...time to roll out big time and pull on my compression sleeves...I'm going to do one more short bike/run workout this evening to stay loose, then it's 2 rest days followed by the race!  Woohoo!

Boxes, Packing Tape, and Where's My Sanity?

Oh I know, it's probably shoved into an altogether too small cardboard box in between some paperback novels, index cards, and unifix cubes...That's right, you guessed it folks.  I spent my day today knee deep in the dreaded job of packing my classroom.  After my first year teaching, I complained about having to clean out the room, cover book shelves and bulletin boards with butcher paper, and cram all of my "stuff" into cabinets and closets.  I LONG for a job that simple right now!!!

Last year's "packed" classroom (aka bookshelves covered with paper...)

Since I am moving schools next year, I was faced with the GIGANTIC task of packing every single item from my classroom into cardboard boxes and garbage bags.  Those of you who are not teachers may not understand the hugeness of this undertaking.  It's just one room, right?  HAH.  Let me paint you a little picture.  There are well over 1,000 books in my library.  I have at least 50 storage bins and crates, of course of a variety of shapes and sizes so they can't even be stacked.  I filled two boxes with math manipulativesalone, in addition to the two plastic tubs I just taped shut (I left several boxes behind, btw).  I have an entire box of just random crap from my teacher desk, and another of shared supplies like markers, highlighters, spare glue sticks, etc.  I have a box that is filled entirely with rolled up bulletin board boarders and craft supplies for goodness sake, and I have hardly any of either of those things in comparison to other teachers!

Lucky for me, though, our district gives us a beautiful gift each year: Records Day.  It's basically a no-kids administrative day for us to fill out info in the kids' cumulative folders (aka PERMANENT RECORDS) and take care of other end of the year tasks, part of which includes the dreaded packing of the room.  Today was that day.  Now setting up the classroom each fall can be overwhelming and a general pain just because of the sheer amount of work involved (x 100 if you are crazy detail obsessed and organized like me...), but the end of the year just sucks because not only is it the same amount of work (more if you're moving schools!), but add in about 10 pounds of dust that somehow managed to collect in random nooks and crannies in the room, plus the general depressing nature of taking a warm, inviting classroom and generally nice place to be and stripping it to the bones of all of its "niceness."  Yuck.  I'm sorry, but this pretty much sucks, you guys.

Before:

I spent close to 11 hours in my classroom today, most of which was spent packing.  By the end I was so exhausted that I would sit on a desk between boxes, gaze around the pathetic, depressing mess that was once my wonderfully bright and warm classroom, and figure out which corner I should tackle next.  What a terribly depressing day!!

 After:

 Oh, and don't worry--at one point, I got a phone call from a school in Boston asking me to interview for a 5th grade position.  Remember how my #1 choice for next year was teaching in Boston?  And how not a single public district had called during my search?  Yup.  It felt just *awesome* to tell them I had already accepted a job and couldn't interview...I know that I technically could, but I would feel wrong about backing out of this job now since I already have a relationship with the principal.  After I hung up the phone, I immediately burst into tears and sat sobbing in my neighbor teacher's room about how unfair things are.  I know, I was definitely acting like the youngest child baby I am--but seriously.  I was bummed.  Don't get me wrong, I am excited about my new school and new job, and I know that I am SOOOOO lucky to have had multiple offers for next year.  I don't mean to sound ungrateful and like a brat, but it's just frustrating, you know?

Definitely needed to stop for one of these on the way home after that day!

After packing my teacher life into 45 boxes and garbage bags, the couch and TLC are calling my name...Last brick of traithlon training tomorrow, better rest up!

An "I should get outta the classroom more often" Kinda Moment, and Exciting News!

Do you ever have those "Seriously, I am SUCH a teacher" kind of moments?  The ones where you find yourself reprimanding strange children in Target, neatening up shelves at the grocery store, or telling friends and loved ones, "Great job!" or "I can tell you did your best"?  Hopefully it's not just me...Well, listen to this one:  When I got home from school a little bit ago and was (immediately) changing into comfies, I was thinking how my skirt needed to be dry cleaned, and how I could drop it off at the cleaners Thursday after I tutor...then I caught myself thinking, "I'll stick it in my 'Thursday Bin' so I don't forget!"

Thursday Bin?  As in the spot I stick my Thursday copies at school?  Last time I checked I don't have a day of the week bin system in my home...The thing that makes this an even BIGGER face-palm moment, though, is that a tiny little part of me totally wishes I had a day of the week bin system at home...seriously, you know you do too... ;)

Believe it or not, that geektastic moment was NOT the most eventful thing that has happened since I last blogged--this time last week my beautiful new niece was born!  I know everybody says this about their own family, but this baby is seriously gorgeous.  I am beyond thrilled about her and so happy for Older Brother and Sis in Law.  Unfortunately, they live in Florida so I won't be able to meet Beautiful Niece until Spring break... :(  It can't come a moment too soon!

Other than that news, my life has been pretty darn uneventful these days.  My Sunday 7-miler was foiled because I had the *brilliant* idea to attempt to run through 5+ inches of snow on an unplowed bike path...I made it ONE mile away from my car, thought I was going to pass out from exerting so much energy WADING through snow and fighting wind, and barely made it the mile back to my car.  Fail.  Also, later that day I managed to have an epic wipe out on an icy sidewalk, smack my knee on the pavement, and seriously jack up my knee.  It's still hurting and just not working right!  After a friend's 2 cents and some web MDing (obv), I convinced myself that I had torn my miniscus...which I still think might have happened, but it's feeling a little better every day so hopefully whatever it is is healing on its own!  Anyways, the long and short of it all is that this has become a spontaneous "Rest Week"--and it's given me an excuse to rock my Tommie Copper knee sleeve 24/7...  #attemptingtoseethegood...

Continuing with the random theme of this post, let me just share the beautiful piece of writing I had the pleasure of reading this week...it darn near brought me to tears.  Grab the kleenex.  Prompt: Write about a place that is special to you.

Check back soon for a new product review/giveaway and a post on persuasive writing/anchor charts!